Slocan Valley Rail Trail

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The Slocan Valley Rail Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia.

Contents

Overview

The trail uses the former Columbia and Kootenay Railway rail corridor along the section of the Slocan Valley between South Slocan and Slocan that the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) abandoned in 1994. Subsequently, CP removed the rails and ties, and dismantled the bridges. [1]

The 52-kilometre (32 mi) trail [2] is owned by the government of BC and managed by the Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society (SVHTS). [1]

Timeline

1993: CP ran last freight train on September 14.
1994: The SVHTS was formed. CP applied to abandon line.
1999: CP gifted the right-of-way to the Trans Canada Trail (TCT).
2000: TCT gave the property to the BC government.
2002: SVHTS signed a 10-year agreement to manage rail trail. [1]
2003: SICEA grant received. [3]
2005 Construction of three new bridges, complete grading and brushing, extensive resurfacing and construction of trailheads. [4]
2007: Trail opened. [3]
2012: Became official TCT spur. [5]
2017: South Slocan–Crescent Valley becomes paved greenway. [1]

Sections

Sections. [2]
FromToDistanceFeatures
South SlocanCrescent Valley5.0 km (3.1 mi)Popular beach, pub, steeper grade, culvert tunnel
Crescent ValleyPassmore16.5 km (10.3 mi)Beaches, swift water, narrow winding valley, farms, commercial/residential, rocky shoreline
PassmoreWinlaw10.1 km (6.3 mi)Winding, forested, close river access, Little Slocan River mouth, marshland and wildlife habitat
Winlaw Lemon Creek12.0 km (7.5 mi)Multiple cafés, shopping, farms, private small beaches, historic markers
Lemon Creek Slocan8.1 km (5.0 mi)Wildlife sanctuary, First Nations habitat site, close river access, Slocan Beach

South Slocan box culvert

In 1962, southwest of South Slocan, a 90-metre (300 ft) long two-lane highway bridge, connecting embankment approaches, replaced a railway crossing. Five decades later, that bridge over the rail trail needed costly structural rehabilitation. In 2017, an embankment fill, with a 50-metre (160 ft) long concrete box culvert under the highway for cyclists and pedestrians, replaced the bridge. [6] Local artist Peter Vogelaar and volunteers painted a mural along the length of the tunnel detailing the valley history. [7]


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South Slocan is an unincorporated community on the northwest shore of the Kootenay River in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The former railway junction, on BC Highway 6, is by road about 24 kilometres (15 mi) northeast of Castlegar, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Nelson.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Slocan Valley Rail Trail history". www.slocanvalleyrailtrail.ca.
  2. 1 2 "Slocan Valley Rail Trail sections". www.slocanvalleyrailtrail.ca.
  3. 1 2 "Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007" (PDF). www.trailsbc.ca.
  4. ↑ "Trail Talk: Vol. 11 No. 1 — January 2006" (PDF). www.trailsbc.ca.
  5. ↑ "Trails BC News: Vol. 17 No. 1 — April 2012" (PDF). www.trailsbc.ca.
  6. ↑ "Highway 3A South Slocan Overhead Removal Project". www.islengineering.com.
  7. ↑ "South Slocan to Crescent Valley". www.slocanvalleyrailtrail.ca.


Coordinates: 49°45′40″N117°28′24″W / 49.76100°N 117.47328°W / 49.76100; -117.47328

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